CAIRO: A total of LE 940 million will be allocated to salary reform in the medical sector, Minister of Health Amr Helmy announced. The funds will go into increasing the salaries for doctors, dentists, pharmacists and nurses. “I hope that the Ministry of Health does not take this money out of the treatment budget and put it into salary reform,” said Dr. Mona Mina from Doctors Without Rights, an advocacy group, who welcomed the decision. She said she hoped to see and increase in compensation doctors receive in for occupational hazard. “It is now LE 20 and we are demanding it goes up to LE 500, however if they raise it to LE 100 or LE 120 it will be a step in the right direction,” she said. The Ministry of Health has presented three proposals to the Ministry of Finance to increase salaries for those in the medical profession, which the latter has approved. There are two sources of funding for the reform: LE 540 million will be provided by the state budget and the remaining LE 400 million from the Ministry of Health, the ministry said in a statement. The Doctors' Syndicate, members of which have met with a committee from the ministry on Sunday and discussed the issue of salaries, applauded the immediate response. “We have discussed this project just two days ago and now we're seeing it come to light. Minister Amr Helmy is very responsive, and unlike previous ministers he takes action right away,” said Dr. Abdel Fattah Rizk, board member of the Doctors' Syndicate. “Improving the financial status of those working in the medical profession is a great step,” he added. “We will further work to increase the financing for many other areas in the medical profession.”
